Acute alcohol consumption is associated with increased interatrial electromechanical delay in healthy men

Background: Acute alcohol consumption can cause atrial fibrillation in patients with, and without, heart disease. Increased atrial electromechanical delay (EMD) has been associated with atrial fibrillation. We evaluated the atrial conduction properties by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) echocardiography in healthy men following acute alcohol intake. Methods: Thirty healthy male volunteers were included in this study. Baseline ECG, heart rate, blood pressure, and TDI echocardiographic findings were compared to readings taken one hour after drinking six 12-oz cans of beer (76.8 g of ethanol). Results: Although the blood pressure and heart rate remained similar before and one hour after alcohol intake, Pmax and Pd values were significantly prolonged (114.2 &#177; 10.4 vs 100.8 &#177; 10.6, p = 0.002; 50.6 &#177; 9.6 vs 34.5 &#177; 8.8, p < 0.0001). Interatrial EMD was significantly increased after drinking alcohol compared to the baseline (19.8 &#177; 9.2 vs 14.0 &#177; 5.5 ms, p < 0.0002). Conclusions: Acute moderate alcohol intake was associated with an increased interatrial EMD obtained by TDI echocardiography. This finding may help explain how these patients express increased susceptibility to atrial fibrillation. (Cardiol J 2011; 18, 6: 682&#8211;686

The association of functional mitral regurgitation and anemia in patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy

Background: We investigated the association between anemia and functional mitral regurgitation (MR) in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients with sinus rhythm and normal renal function. Methods: Sixty non-ischemic DCM patients with sinus rhythm and left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% were recruited. Functional MR was quantified with the proximal isovelocity surface area method. MR was graded according to the mitral regurgitant volume (Reg Vol) or effective regurgitant orifice (ERO) area. The clinical, biochemical and echocardiographic correlates of functional MR severity were investigated in patients with DCM. Results: Hemoglobin degrees were significantly different between various MR levels (mild MR 13.9 &#177; 1.7 mg/dL, moderate MR 12.3 &#177; 1.5 mg/dL, moderate to severe MR 10.8 &#177; 0.9 mg/dL). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the utility of hemoglobin levels to predict moderate or severe functional MR. A hemoglobin level less than 12.5 mg/dL predicted moderate or high MR with 80% sensitivity and 58% specificity (AUC: 0.789, 95% CI: 0.676&#8211;0.901, p < 0.0001). Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent predictors of moderate or severe levels of MR. The left atrium diameter (OR: 19.3, 95% CI: 1.4-27.1, p = 0.028) and presence of anemia (OR: 11.9, 95% CI: 1.22-42.5, p = 0.0045) were independent predictors of moderate or severe functional MR. Conclusions: The presence of anemia and enlarged left atrium are independent predictors of moderate or severe functional MR in non-ischemic DCM patients with normal renal function. Hemoglobin levels less than 12.5 mg/dL should alert the physician for the presence of moderate or severe MR in patients with DCM. (Cardiol J 2010; 17, 3: 274-280

Association between women's authorship and women's editorship in infectious diseases journals : a cross-sectional study

Funding: The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.Background Gender inequity is still pervasive in academic medicine, including journal publishing. We aimed to ascertain the proportion of women among first and last authors and editors in infectious diseases journals and assess the association between women's editorship and women's authorship while controlling for a journal's impact factor. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we randomly selected 40 infectious diseases journals (ten from each 2020 impact factor quartile), 20 obstetrics and gynaecology journals (five from each 2020 impact factor quartile), and 20 cardiology journals (five from each 2020 impact factor quartile) that were indexed in Journal Citation Reports, had an impact factor, had retrievable first and last author names, and had the name of more than one editor listed. We retrieved the names of the first and last authors of all citable articles published by the journals in 2018 and 2019 that counted towards their 2020 impact factor and collected the names of all the journals' editors-in-chief, deputy editors, section editors, and associate editors for the years 2018 and 2019. We used genderize.io to predict the gender of each first author, last author, and editor. The outcomes of interest were the proportions of women first authors and women last authors. We assessed the association between women's editorship and women's authorship by fitting quasi-Poisson regression models comprising the variables: the proportion of women last authors or women first authors; the proportion of women editors; the presence of a woman editor-in-chief; and journal 2020 impact factor. Findings We found 11 027 citable infectious diseases articles, of which 167 (1·5%) had an indeterminable first author gender, 155 (1·4%) had an indeterminable last author gender, and seven (0·1%) had no authors indexed. 5350 (49·3%) of 10 853 first authors whose gender could be determined were predicted to be women and 5503 (50·7%) were predicted to be men. Women accounted for 3788 (34·9%) of 10 865 last authors whose gender could be determined and men accounted for 7077 (65·1%). Of 577 infectious diseases journal editors, 190 (32·9%) were predicted to be women and 387 (67·1%) were predicted to be men. Of the 40 infectious diseases journals, 13 (32·5%) had a woman as editor-in-chief. For infectious diseases journals, the proportion of women editors had a significant effect on women's first authorship (incidence rate ratio 1·32, 95% CI 1·06–1·63; p=0·012) and women's last authorship (1·92, 1·45–2·55; p<0·0001). The presence of a woman editor-in-chief, the proportion of women last or first authors, and the journal's impact factor exerted no effect in these analyses. Interpretation The proportion of women editors appears to influence the proportion of women last and first authors in the analysed infectious diseases journals. These findings might help to explain gender disparities observed in publishing in academic medicine and suggest a need for revised policies towards increasing women's representation among editors.PostprintPeer reviewe

Impairment of the left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the liver component of the metabolic syndrome. We investigated the diastolic and systolic functional parameters of patients with NAFLD and the impact of metabolic syndrome on these parameters. Methods: Thirty-five non-diabetic, normotensive NAFLD patients, and 30 controls, were included in this study. Each patient underwent transthoracic conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDI) for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) diastolic and systolic function. Study patients were also evaluated with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Results: NAFLD patients had higher blood pressures, increased body mass indices, and more insulin resistance than controls. TDI early diastolic velocity (E&#8217; on TDI) values were lower in NAFLD patients than the controls (11.1 &#177; 2.1 vs 15.3 &#177; 2.7; p < 0.001). TDI systolic velocity (S&#8217; on TDI) values were lower in NAFLD patients than the controls (9.34 &#177; 1.79 vs 10.6 &#177; 1.52; p = 0.004). E&#8217; on TDI and S&#8217; on TDI values were moderately correlated with night-systolic blood pressure, night-diastolic blood pressure, and night-mean blood pressure in NAFLD patients. Conclusions: Patients with NAFLD have impaired LV systolic and diastolic function even in the absence of morbid obesity, hypertension, or diabetes. (Cardiol J 2010; 17, 5: 457-463

Evaluation of Left Ventricular Function by Conventional Echocardiography and Tissue Doppler Imaging in Patients with Acute and Chronic Mitral Regurgitation

Left ventricular function is affected differently in acute and chronic mitral regurgitation (MR). Twenty-six patients (12 men and 14 women, average age: 55±20 years) with acute severe MR caused by flail leaflet and 30 patients with chronic severe MR of organic origin (14 men and 16 women, average age: 56±14 years) were included in the study. All of the patients were evaluated in detail by conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Among conventional echocardiographic parameters, left ventricle ejection fraction (%) was found higher in acute MR (71±5/59±12, p=0.001) whereas left ventricle end-systolic volume, left ventricle end-diastolic volume, left ventricle end-systolic diameter, left ventricle end-diastolic diameter, left atrium dimension, and left atrial area were significantly higher in chronic MR. Among TDI parameters, peak systolic wave velocities (11.4±3.6/8.8±2.5cm/s, p=0.018), peak early diastolic velocities (10.8±4.5/9.3±3.8cm, p=0.03), and contraction time (248±56/219±47ms, p=0.04) were found higher in acute MR, whereas precontraction time (119±29/164±48ms, p=0.005) and precontraction time to contraction time ratio (0.52±0.23/0.78±0.28, p=0.008) were significantly higher in chronic MR. As evaluated by conventional echocardiography, the systolic function of chronic MR was also normal, although it was lower than that of acute MR. We also found that left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions by TDI were also relatively preserved in patients with acute MR when compared with those with chronic MR

Segmental diastolic compression of circumflex coronary artery secondary to pericardial constriction: an uncommon cause of angina pectoris

Diastolic segmental compression of a native coronary artery is an uncommon cause of chest pain. Here we describe a 24-year-old woman with constrictive pericarditis who had retrosternal chest pain, progressive dyspnea, tachycardia, and bilateral leg edema. She was diagnosed with compression of the first and second obtuse marginal branches of left circumflex coronary artery secondary to constrictive pericarditis. She underwent pericardiectomy and her symptoms were relieved following surgery